Miami Football could hire Hurricanes record holder as WR coach

Leonard Hankerson who holds the single-season (13) and game (3) records for receiving touchdowns has interviewed to be the wide receivers coach for the Miami football program according to Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald who received the information from two sources. Hankerson set both Miami records in 2010.

Hankerson retired from the NFL in 2015 with the Buffalo Bills and was the San Francisco 49ers WRs coach in 2022. After his playing career ended Hankerson began his coaching career at Palmetto Bay Palmer Trinity School as the WR coach in 2016. Hankerson was a graduate assistant at UMass in 2017.

Hankerson was elevated to the UMass WRs coach in 2018. After two seasons at UMass, Hankerson was the WRs coach at Stephen F. Austin in 2019 and 2020. After two seasons at Stephen F. Austin, Hankerson became an offensive quality control coach with the 49ers in 2021 before being promoted in 2022.

Per Miller Degnan and her sources, Hankerson and Baltimore Ravens’ assistant WRs coach Keith Williams who is officially listed as the pass game specialist were the only interviewees for Miami WRs coach. Williams worked with Ravens’ WRs coach Tee Martin who has been mentioned candidate to be Miami WR coach.

Martin’s son Kaden is on the Miami baseball team. Williams was a college WR coach from 2000 through 2017 that included stints at Nebraska (2015-17) and Tulane (2012-14). Williams has also worked as a private WR coach with the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill and Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams.

Another potential candidate that has been named by various media outlets is Miami’s second all-time leader receiver in receptions and yards, Reggie Wayne. Wayne spent the majority of his 15-year NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts and was the WR coach in the Circle City in 2022.

Indianapolis hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach. Wayne has one year remaining on his contract and stated in January that he would like to return. Another alum with WR coaching experience is Lamar Thomas. Thomas is the Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coach in the XFL.

Beyond Hankerson and Williams, there is no indication if Thomas, Wayne, or anyone else is a candidate to become the next Miami WR coach. Expect Mario Cristobal to continue keeping any information in-house until a decision is made on who the next WR coach will be for the Miami football program.